Samuel’s eyes fluttered open, the faint light of dawn creeping through the cracked window of the safehouse. The soft hum of the city waking up was a stark contrast to the turmoil that churned inside him. Last night’s revelations had settled heavily on his mind, the ancient manuscript resting on the table beside him like a silent challenge.He sat up slowly, muscles stiff but his resolve burning brighter than ever. The knowledge that Arthur Brook was not just a rival, but a harbinger of destruction with a weapon powered by Void energy, made the stakes clearer than ever. But Samuel also understood that the path to defeating him was not a straightforward battle of brute force. It would require mastery — of himself, his power, and the mysterious techniques buried within the ancient tome.The creak of the door signaled Sarah’s entrance. She held two steaming cups of coffee, her expression softer than it had been in days. She handed one to Samuel without a word. He took it gratefully, the b

Samuel stared at the flickering screen in front of him. The decrypted images Madeline had recovered showed blueprints of a device unlike anything he’d ever seen — a fusion of Void energy and mechanical constructs, arcane runes seared into the metal. Whatever Arthur Brook was building, it wasn’t just a weapon. It was a statement of domination.Damian leaned over the table, brows furrowed. “That’s not a bomb. That’s a summoning conduit. It’s designed to pierce dimensions.”Sarah blinked, her voice laced with disbelief. “You’re saying Arthur wants to open a portal?”“No,” The Falcon said, entering the room, his steps slow and heavy. “Not just open it. He wants to merge dimensions — ours with the Shadowplane.”The room fell silent. Even Samuel froze, the name stirring a distant dread in his bones.“Shadowplane?” he asked finally. “I’ve heard of it. But I thought it was legend. A place where time and soul disintegrate.”“It is real,” The Falcon said grimly. “And if Arthur succeeds, he won’

The city was waking up slowly, as if unsure whether to face another day or surrender to the weight of despair that had hung over it for so long. Samuel stood on the balcony of their safe house, watching the streets below, where people moved cautiously but with a flicker of hope in their eyes. The destruction of Arthur’s supply depot had been a significant victory, but Samuel knew better than anyone that it was just a crack in a much larger dam.“Did you sleep at all last night?” Sarah’s voice came from behind him, gentle but edged with concern.Samuel turned, his face drawn and tired. “Not really. My mind won’t stop racing. Every moment Arthur stays alive, the city is at risk.”Sarah stepped closer, her hands folded. “You should rest. You can’t keep fighting like this and expect to win.”He smiled faintly, the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Rest is a luxury I can’t afford. Not yet.”Sarah shook her head. “You don’t have to carry this alone, Samuel.”He looked away, g

The city’s restless energy seemed to pulse under the setting sun, shadows creeping over rooftops as if mirroring the darkness spreading in the heart of Aretra. Samuel stood inside the war room, surrounded by his closest allies—Sarah, Madeline, Damian, and The Falcon. The weight of the recent encounter with the assassin still lingered heavily in the air. That woman’s words haunted him: Arthur was not simply a tyrant; he was a vessel for something far darker.“We need answers,” Samuel said, voice low but fierce. “If Arthur is controlled by something beyond us, then our fight isn’t just political. It’s spiritual.”Sarah nodded, scrolling through encrypted files on her tablet. “I’ve been digging into the history of the Brook family. There are old legends, ancient rituals they performed—some involving a dark entity sealed within the bloodline.”Madeline’s eyes flickered with concern. “That explains why Arthur has been so invincible. If he’s channeling an otherworldly force, brute strength

"What do you mean he’s gone?" Sarah's voice echoed in the corridor beneath the city, rage and disbelief curling in her tone like fire around dry wood.Damian held his ground, jaw clenched. "The Falcon slipped away sometime after the evacuation. No one saw him leave. His injuries were severe, but... he knew something."Samuel leaned against the stone wall, hands trembling. The chamber still smelled of smoke and blood. The battle above ground had scarred the city, but this betrayal — or disappearance — hit deeper. "He wouldn't just leave. Not unless..."Sarah turned to Samuel. "Unless he knew something we don’t. Or unless he was never fully on our side."Silence fell over the group. The crackling of a broken power conduit in the corner was the only sound.Damian muttered, "I’ve already dispatched scouts. If he’s alive, we’ll find him. But we have a bigger problem. Arthur’s assault isn’t slowing. They’re hitting Sector Seven now."Samuel straightened, eyes dark. "Then we move. We don’t w